By John Paul
Fresh details emerged Wednesday of how the pilot of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft that crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, apparently steered the stricken plane away from the heart of the community in its final moments, averting what could have been a far greater catastrophe involving hundreds of residents.
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who visited the crash site on Wednesday, said eyewitness accounts indicated that the aircraft was descending dangerously towards the populated community before the pilot manoeuvred it away, eventually crashing into a swamp about 200 metres from residential areas.
The governor said the action appeared to have prevented the aircraft from plunging into homes and potentially causing mass casualties on the ground.
According to residents who witnessed the incident, the aircraft appeared to be experiencing serious mechanical difficulty as it descended, making an unusual sound that suggested possible engine trouble.
“The aircraft was almost landing within the community,” Aiyedatiwa said, recounting eyewitness accounts. He said the pilot appeared to have made a final effort to steer the aircraft away before it plunged into the swamp.
The governor cautioned, however, that only the pilot could have provided a definitive account of what happened in the cockpit and the actions taken in the aircraft’s final moments.
Aiyedatiwa described the incident as a national tragedy but said the fact that the aircraft missed the populated centre of Igbokoda prevented an even more devastating disaster.
He expressed gratitude that the aircraft did not come down in the middle of the community, where the consequences could have been catastrophic.
The Nigerian Air Force aircraft was carrying personnel on a special mission from Benin to Lagos when it crashed near Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, on Monday.
Aiyedatiwa said no survivor had been found as of his visit on Wednesday, while search teams continued the difficult operation to locate victims and the main wreckage.
The governor, accompanied by Nigerian Navy and Air Force personnel, emergency officials, and local divers, described the crash site as a “very gory sight.”
He said human remains, clothing, and jackets believed to belong to Air Force personnel, as well as fragments of the aircraft, had been recovered and preserved as the investigation and recovery operation continued.
The main fuselage and cockpit had yet to be located, with officials believing that the aircraft could have become deeply embedded in the mud beneath the swamp.
Aiyedatiwa said the terrain had severely complicated the recovery operation.
To improve access, the governor directed the Ondo State Ministry of Works to deploy two amphibious excavators, commonly called swamp buggies, to clear wider passages through the swamp.
The equipment enabled rescue personnel to bring larger boats closer to the crash site and excavate sections of the swamp in the search for the aircraft and its occupants.
Navy personnel and local divers were also searching deeper portions of the swamp for bodies, the cockpit, and other major components of the aircraft.
The governor said the depth and muddy nature of the terrain could explain why the main wreckage had remained difficult to locate more than two days after the crash.
A further environmental concern emerged as aviation fuel from the aircraft was found flowing into the surrounding water, contaminating part of the swamp.
Aiyedatiwa commiserated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Air Force, and the families of the personnel involved in the tragedy.
He described those aboard as young and able Nigerians who had committed themselves to defending the country and protecting its territorial integrity.
He urged Nigerians to pray for their families as the recovery operation continued.
Meanwhile, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Captain Andy Alemongwa, briefed the governor on the progress of operations at the site.
Navy personnel, Air Force officials, emergency responders and local divers remained deployed in the area Wednesday, concentrating efforts on locating the main wreckage and recovering the remaining victims.
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